I Won't Smile
by Haileyamandar
Summary: A sick wife's selfishness and a true love's loyalty - but a hero with a big heart can only take so much. One regret can be the end of everything, the end of a life, and one woman will come to learn that too well.  Complete!
1. Prologue

**May this fanfiction be a successful year-long project for all of my cousins.  
Especially for _him._**

* * *

_Present day._

Her purple eyes had forever lost their fiery glow, preferring to smother their flames of passion underneath a foggy film of regret and loneliness.

Or, perhaps, Jazz was likely wrong; the glazed look in Samantha's eyes was simply second nature to her now. Surely to be a reminder to the whole family that some hearts were never meant to be mended. And in some unfair goodness, it was like a neon-flashing sign to all the strangers sitting next to the broken woman at the bar that she was unexplored territory which they dare not be bothered to touch. One look from her shattered gaze as she took a swig from her Bud Light sent every single drunkard turning back to the hussy on his other side.

It had been months since Jazz and Samantha last communicated. In fact, close to a year since they had spoken in person. Now, as the redhead stood a few feet from the doors of the bar and let her fair eyes lock onto the leer of her brother's best friend, the pit of her stomach tightened. They stared in stock silence, neither one angry, neither one sad. Just empty.

Sam was the first one to look away. Reaching into her pocket, she slapped down a ten dollar bill onto the counter and stumbled off of her stool. Nobody noticed her. She didn't care, keeping the face of a rebel as she started to head towards the doors of the _Hit and Run_ midnight bar.

Without waiting for her, Jazz turned back towards the exit and wandered outside, into the night air that she could've sworn was reaching below zero. She should have dressed a bit warmer.

It was always moments like these that the twenty nine year old felt most nostalgic. They all used to have someone to cuddle with in the wintertime. Lately there was so much on everyone's mind, all the time, and now seeing Samantha at her worst… It was going to be a rough week.

Her arms wrapped tightly around her upper body and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the hollow feelings of remorse. Perhaps she hadn't healed as much as she thought, since the accident. It seemed Jazz was beginning to realize that about herself more and more often.

Jazz then heard the wooden door swing open, and whether it was presumptuousness or common sense that told her it was Sam, she did not turn around to look. The doors shut and the quiet air made Jazz shift her weight, as she stared over at a random car parked yards away.

It was a full moon tonight. A cold winter, and yet many people were out and about. There would be the first snow in the next day or two. Even late tonight, maybe… Danny loved the snow.

"How's the family?" Sam asked in a voice that was slightly slurred.

If Jazz didn't know Samantha better she'd think the question was one hundred percent insincere.

The older woman looked over at the goth. Hopefully she wouldn't notice the tears that had formed at the corners of her eyes. Emotion was swirling into her mind and beginning to tear her down, though she fought it with great willpower. Thankfully Sam seemed too intoxicated to notice.

Jazz simply gave her best fake smile and worked up the nerve to reply, "They've been traveling a lot. Mom's been craving the mountains."

As Sam gave a curt nod and tossed her gaze to the concrete below, Jazz's lips trembled.

"I miss seeing you around, you know," she confided, almost accusatorily. She narrowed her aqua eyes, unafraid of the conversation getting tense. "You're the last piece of the real Danny that we have. My mom worries about you."

A flash of pain hurdled through Sam's entire expression. Clenching her fists, the ebony-haired woman took an indifferent pose and gave Jazz a wary and cold look. It was clear now that she had no desire to speak about the past - or the future, for that matter. Jazz felt a bitter disappointment punch her right in the abdomen. One tear silently began to trickle down her left cheek and she quickly wiped it away.

"Tell your parents I love them. But I'm not that piece they're looking for - I'm just a dead drunk now, worthless."

With a bitter and apologetic smile, she turned away and walked out of the street light, into the shadows of the concrete jungle. Jazz let her go, peering at her darkened shape as it grew smaller and smaller.

Maybe she should have called her back and tried to reason with her. Maybe she should be trying to comfort her.

On the other hand, they had all been trying to do that for months. Even good old Tucker had given up his last hope when she stopped answering his calls last spring.

So Jazz let her walk away, pushing away all feelings of guilt. Closing her eyes with a sour sigh, she turned her back to the shadows.

_You were once a strong person, Sam. You knew who you were and where you were going._

_Now you're a coward._

_Can Danny see you now?_

* * *

**Author's Note: All chapters have been pre-written and will be uploaded throughout the next several days. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1

_Five years earlier._

"I'm going ghost!"

A beautiful girl - though unique in her own kind of charm - watched as her best friend, now twenty two years old, began his strange transformation into his supernatural alter-ego. This was her favorite part of all the action.

Ebony hair was bleached as white as snow. Just a piercing aqua blue moments before, two puppy-dog eyes widened and flashed into a limey sort of ghoulish green, giving great contrast to his blackened rubbery outfit. The familiar "DP" design that Sam herself had designed was plastered on the natural part of his broadened chest, revealing his identity. He stood in place like a valiant Greek God of mythology.

It had been much, much too long since Sam had gotten to see this.

Danny Phantom sprung into the air without effort. Sam could only shield her eyes against the sun and watch with the usual sense of longing - oh how Samantha Manson had always longed to fly. Danny used hold her close and they'd fly off together to the park, or the mall, or-

POW!

A bone-crunching punch from his superhuman fist sent a strange dragon-like ghost falling towards the paved road below. As big and intimidating as it was, it seemed to pose no problem for Danny right from the get-go. Perhaps his many years of practice had truly made him master of this world _and_ the Ghost Zone. There was talk that he'd become a legend; ghost hunters from all around the world - even ghosts themselves - traveled to Amity Park to witness Danny Phantom defeat monster after monster, sealing them back into the world from which they had come. Though his true humanly identity had been revealed eight years ago to the public, after he had saved the world from total destruction, some had begun to turn on him, questioning his motives. So, travel to Amity Park was rather limited for most people. Not only because it was the ghost capitol of the world, but for the protection of its very own hero. To prevent as much publicity and paparazzi as possible, the Fenton family had been relocated to a more remote part of town, and was surrounded by 3-feet-thick concrete walls. Danny had his own mansion which he forgot to visit half of the time.

Things were very, very different now. Eight years ago was the breakthrough to a totally new life for Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Amity Park.

Across the roadway, in his casual orange jumpsuit, Jack Fenton was all too prepared for the capture of this amateur ghostly fiend. As Danny gave the creature another slug of his professionally clenched hand, his father fired a beam from his latest version of the "Fenton Thermos." No longer a thermos, but a small ball-point pen, with a single red button that sealed an aura around any ghost and captured it inside its tiny living space.

A ball-point pen? Silly, indeed. The only things that hadn't changed in eight years were the simplest things.

A minute later, the dust had settled, and a crowd formed around Danny and was pushing its way towards the hero and his father. Sam didn't try to force her way through, this time. It never failed that the hoard of fans (mostly women) would be all too hysterical and she'd be pushed to the back of the line, while Danny Phantom had to flee his way to safety. This time wasn't so different.

"Danny Phantom, would you mind answering our questions today?"

"Danny, is it true that you're sponsoring Amity High's homecoming dance?"

"Oh Danny, we love you! We love you so much."

She closed her violet eyes against the bright flashes of cameras, and began walking in the opposite direction. The original feeling of elation when she had stumbled onto Danny's fight just as it had started had quickly faded. Now she felt hollow as she began her walk home, just a couple of blocks to her Manson mansion, where her mother awaited her visit.

She and Danny had grown far apart these days. Sam had gotten herself a job at a movie store to establish her own income. For a person like her, she could not accept the offers of large sums of money from both her parents and her best friend, Danny. Why take what she hadn't earned for herself, she had reasoned. While this job was the least of her worries, she wondered if things would have been different if she had actually accepted the money.

_It still wouldn't give me anymore time with Danny,_ she thought bitterly.

Yes, it had become very lonely in her one-bedroom apartment, with no signs of the Halfa's presence day by day. He phoned her once in a while, and they saw a movie maybe every three months.

But it just wasn't good enough. She missed him, and she missed him oh so desperately.

* * *

12:24 A.M. was shining on her clock when Sam was cuddled onto her couch, drawn intensely into her 1960's horror film. Without thinking much about it, however, she suddenly felt a chill in her living room. The lonely girl just shrugged her blanket around her shoulders and stared blankly at the TV screen.

A light brush of an invisible finger pulled away a strand of hair that had fallen over her face. It startled her for a brief moment, but for no good reason! Her heart began to beat fast and she smiled wide; she knew exactly who was there next to her.

He solidified himself against the cushions, his arm now stretched across the top of the couch behind her head. He looked tired; but then again, he always did these days, since it seemed almost impossible for him to find peace and quiet. His face was soft with a small smile and she could just tell that he was glad to be here. For what reasons, she wasn't sure anymore.

"How's my Sam doing?" he asked, pulling her into a tight hug. Samantha returned it, her embrace full of an almost desperate sort of clinginess. This was the first and last hug for a while, most likely. _Don't let go, don't let go, don't-!_

"That good, huh?" he mused as she gave him, not a vocal reply, but just the physical hug that compensated for weeks of his neglect. The guilt tugged at him, so he squeezed her in his arms again just to let her know he was there to hold her for as long as she wanted.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked through her smile, burying one side of her face against his chest.

He chuckled. She finally released him from her iron grip, sitting back to wait for her well-deserved explanation from her bestie.

"I know, I'm sorry, Sam. You, me, and Tucker - we never hang out anymore. I miss it as much as you!" Danny assured her, running a hand through his slick, black hair. "Honest to God, if I hadn't had so many things to juggle through my day…"

He just sighed as he trailed off, and Sam could suddenly tell that something was weighing on his thoughts. If only she could read his mind like the old days. She sat there silently, hoping he'd bring it up by himself.

For the first time, his blue eyes flashed towards the TV screen. After a moment he began to shake his head. On-screen was a screaming woman, getting backed into a corner by something looking like Dracula. Danny seemed utterly amused.

"You're the only thing in this town that hasn't changed," he commented, while she just smiled. His remark held a wistful sort of tone. Clearly, part of him truly missed the older days.

"I wonder if that's a good thing," Sam murmured, glancing down at his knuckles, which looked puffy and red.

Perhaps he sensed the greater meaning behind her reply. His eyes wandered to her face with a concerting stare.

"Of course it is," was his stern answer, no buts about it. Without giving her time to respond, his face softened and he smiled wide. "It seems wrong to tell you on a night like this, while you're watching your movie. I mean, I've been terrible; I haven't seen you in what feels like months. But you have to be the first to know."

Sam's heart skipped a beat and her breathing stopped. The look in his eyes was very familiar. She remembered it from far back, eight years ago, when they claimed they were in love with each other. Yes, it had happened - they had dated for a while after he had saved the world. Things were easier then. They were young, they were best friends; but what gave them bliss in the beginning is also what gave them doubts in the end. When Danny's fame began to rise, so did the fissure in their relationship.

Sam broke it off with Danny when she finally decided his responsibility to the world was more important than their suffocating love. He took it hard and tried to persuade her he couldn't do this without her. In the end, however, he managed to move on.

In many ways, Sam had not. So when Danny approached her one day to tell her that he and Valerie had started dating, she couldn't help be feel…crushed. She had pushed those feelings away, bottled them up, and hugged him congratulatory. There was no chance she would mess with his feelings; or her own, for that matter.

So that look in his eyes? Sam almost knew what was coming before he said it.

And then, like a knife that had sliced at a piece of her heart, she heard him sing the words, "We're engaged."

For a moment, she felt her face burn. But she wiped her mind - and her heart - of all emotion, and replaced them with her beautiful smile. Maybe, in the end, it was meant to fool herself. She wanted to be ecstatic.

After embracing him with what she knew would be her last intimate hug, she whispered in his ear, "Oh Danny. I'm so happy for you."

She tried with her whole heart and soul to mean it.


	3. Chapter 2

_About a year later..._

Danny held his face in the palm of his hands.

A little stream of water trickled from the corner of the air conditioning above, the only sound apart from the roar of the subway racing through underground tunnels.

It was around four in the morning and Danny had used his ghost powers to trespass onto the near-empty train, traveling far away from his hometown. It'd probably be a two hour flight home at this rate…

He stared at the metal floor through the gaps of his fingers.

He was completely hollow.

His beautiful wife was home, sleeping. He hoped she wouldn't wake to find he had disappeared. He usually always left her a note if he had to leave while she was away and dreaming.

The loud and smooth rumbling of the huge machine soothed his nerves. He was tired, and he was hungry, but most of all, his whole body ached. It was a pain he hadn't felt in a long time, the kind of rippling that made your limbs go numb and your chest feel very, very heavy.

The pain of desperation. A certain type of desperation that men don't usually have to face.

Danny lifted his pale face out of his palms and leaned his head back against the chair. He didn't understand why it was happening, which made it unbearable to know that he didn't know how to fix it.

Where was he going wrong? What wasn't he doing right?

He thought he touched her in all the right places. He started with it tenderly, getting her relaxed and feeling like she was nothing but his queen. She moaned, she arched, she laced, and she reacted. It was so normal, it was so right. She was his wife and he wanted to show her how much he really loved her.

He would rest his face against her bosom, feel her heartbeat and hear her rapid breathing and enjoy the synchronization they had. With an animal fury he'd realize they were both ready and would begin to try.

Their first time, he noticed she was nervous. He figured it was because she was a virgin up until their marriage, and it simply scared her. With a lot of women he guessed that was something normal. He himself was squeamish, also having kept his virginity up until marriage, and knew not of the gravity of such an act. Trying to be understanding, he coaxed her, promised he'd love her gently, tried to make her feel happy and loved.

She conceded to his inveigling and they shared a night of satisfying physical closeness, the ultimate bonds of wedlock.

And that was the first of three times he and Valerie would ever sleep together.

They had sex three times in _one year_ of newlywed marriage.

Something had gone wrong. In the very beginning, _everything_ had gone wrong.

The next time he tried to cuddle with her in bed, her body stiffened and she refused his affections. Not knowing any better, he stopped and let her be with that understanding way every husband should have. So he went to sleep, a bit confused and disappointed, but understanding.

The third time she pushed him away was when he knew something was off.

She was enjoying it like their very first night, enjoying it all up until she felt him probing her gently.

The sound of the subway train coming to a screeching halt brought Danny's drowsy body lurching upwards an inch or two. He was so deep in his thoughts…

_What's wrong with me?_ he was asking himself, over and over.

_There must be something wrong with me. There must be. My wife doesn't want my love._

_Valerie does not enjoy me._

When the electric doors began to slide open, Danny let out an inaudible sob and turned intangible. One lonely and rough-bearded man entered the station and sat a few chairs away from Danny's.

After a moment of shedding a few invisible tears, he faded into the walls of the train and decided to fly home, before his Val noticed he'd been gone. All the while he cried and wondered what he could do to save his crumbling marriage, fight away the crisp tension that had formed between the two spouses.

* * *

Valerie slipped her naked body underneath the cold sheets and felt that same gut-wrenching dread. She felt it every night that she and Danny slept in the same bed together. She knew it was unhealthy, somewhere deep in her heart, but because Danny never forced her to do anything she wasn't in the mood to do, she didn't think it was an issue.

_It wasn't any big deal._

But the fear still made her belly swarm and the ice only broke on the nights when her husband was too tired to do anything more than simply kiss her goodnight.

She heard the shower shut off just a pace or two away in the master bedroom. Danny had fought another hard ghost fight tonight, and had come home looking like a roughed-up street rat. She peered through the dim bathroom glow, watching as the muscled hunk slowly stepped out of the steaming granite space and into the cold air. The strange misplaced fear began to subside when she realized he'd probably be too tired to even think of touching her tonight.

Her eyes flickered when he suddenly disappeared in spot; a puddle of water splashed onto the tiled floor and Danny reappeared in place. She couldn't help but smile. His ghost powers, though she had once cursed them to his face, was now her greatest amusement.

The smile disappeared when the naked man turned towards the hallway and looked at her lying in their king-sized bed.

"How was your day, honey?" he asked her in his sweetest tone, though overlaid with a weightiness that had come to him in the past few months.

She put her smile back on. "I did the laundry."

Wordlessly, he made his way towards the bed, meanwhile flicking off the bathroom light. In the darkness the moonlight shone through their open windowed balcony, while the drapes twitched in the gentle breeze.

"Thank you," he finally replied, as he began to climb into his side of the bed. The sheets were cold and unwelcoming to him, and he laid on his back to stare up at the ceiling. He knew his body was exhausted but his mind turned and twisted as usual.

Valerie swallowed hard and peered across at Danny's shape. Something inside her stirred her to close the gap between them. Something else in her held her back. A brief feeling of guilt made her glance away.

_No… This isn't fair at all to him._

She kept her appendages rigid for warmth; it was a cold night out tonight, and she admitted that she was trying too hard to fight the desire to cuddle.

Maybe it was fine. Yes, there wasn't anything to be scared of.

She reached an arm out and it fell across his collarbone.

Danny didn't expect it all and his eyes shot through the darkness towards her shapely form. Her hand was awfully cold; instinctively he enveloped it with both of his, though his own weren't much better.

"You okay, babe?" he asked her quietly.

She threw the sheets up for a moment and scooted across the bed, burying her body against his side. For a moment his heart leapt. Was she ready to try again?

"It's cold tonight," she whispered. She snuggled her face against his arm and gave it a light kiss, then closed her eyes comfortably.

Danny felt his body quiver. He wasn't sure what he should try to do. It had been a long time since they had gotten any closer than this, but it had been even longer since she was the one to initiate an in-bed cuddle. Confusion and uncertainty riddled his mind.

He was all too aware of her belly and her waist, pressed against his thigh, her chest grazing just underneath his armpit.

She was…intoxicating beyond his judgment. His fingertips began to trail across her shoulder, rubbing her so lightly it gave her smooth skin a plethora of goose bumps. He heard her sigh.

Tentatively he began to caress the small of her back while wondering if she'd make any more moves. Sometimes she liked this kind of contact, other nights she simply rolled back onto the other side of the mattress. Why, why was she so fickle and hard to read?

She leaned in closer to him and ran her fingers across his broad chest, beginning to think about how awkward things had become between them. The passion that was there during their courtship… She noticed it was beginning to dwindle. Part of it wondered if it was her fault. The other part wanted to blame Danny. Every woman in the city threw herself to him. He wasn't home half the time. He couldn't commit his every waking moment to her, and sometimes in her own vain heart she realized that these things made her very, very jealous.

She did not cook meals like a normal housewife. She kept frozen foods, and often ordered expensive gourmets, but the desire to cook during the day and the natural need to feel like she accomplished good for her hard-working husband was not there. She pretended not to notice, and Danny never said much about it.

Valerie could hear Danny's breaths coming rapid and shallow. The movements of her hand stopped, but he only turned on his side to come face-to-face with her.

He was too afraid to press his body against hers and hold her, too frightened that she'd turn him down and he'd be stuck feeling worthless again, with no release for the desperate desire and affection swarming through his body. And all he yearned for in the past weeks was to feel loved again by the woman he chose to marry.

Her head still lay on his outstretched arm, while his other curved around to reach her face. He stroked back her hair, strand by strand, rhythmically.

"How are you feeling?" he inquired of her, watching her with cloudy eyes. She could see, even in what little moonlight there was, the tenderness in his gaze. Even if the tension between them was growing he had yet to mistreat her in any way. Still, she felt like she didn't completely own all of him and that made her feel aloof much of the time.

"Wired," was her one word response. Ignoring her doubts momentarily she leaned forward and gave him a grazing kiss on his cold lips, lingering. A few long seconds passed until she felt him start to kiss her back, so weakly at first. But she was taken aback at how quickly their intensity grew and her brows furrowed. She couldn't stop her eyes from rolling back in her head, though, nor the way her neck began to burn with pleasure as he moved to his favorite place to kiss: her biggest weak spot. Her body crumpled willingly against him.

He tangled his fingers into the mess of her curly hair and had moved overtop of her. Weeks of the aching and no release was coming out full force, overwhelming Valerie. She did not recognize this raw passion of his and it was scaring her.

"Slow, slow," she pled in between their kissing.

He cupped her face in both hands and kissed her lips hard and long before he stopped to watch her face. Confusion spread across his bright red face and there was a flash of neon green in his blue eyes. His breathing hadn't slowed.

"Why? You don't like it?"

Valerie did not appreciate being put on the spot, but it was more of the fact that he had never once _put_ her _on_ the spot before. And this feeling she was struggling with was too hard to explain, too embarrassing to tell to him at that moment. Though she was stunned silent, her almond eyes betrayed her feelings; she was not enjoying it tonight.

Danny read that in her and his face twisted with visible pain. The hands on her cheeks folded into tight fists and she felt fearful of _him_, another new emotion to deal with. He wasn't going to hurt her…was he?

"Why?" he whispered through a shaky voice, layered with hurt. He looked as though she had slapped him.

She swallowed hard and puckered her lips in a pout. She was stone silent as he hovered over her outstretched body, inches away from her face. The seconds that ticked by were filled with icy tension that made her skin crawl.

"It's not my fault," she replied under her breath, in such a low tone that he almost didn't catch it. When she dared to look to his eyes she found they had started to glisten with wetness; he was crying.

A surge of defensiveness pulsed through her. She was not ready to face this and she was not willing to answer _any_ of his questions. There was _nothing_ wrong with her. She would not take the blame.

She stretched out her arms and tried to flip him off of her. He didn't fight it one bit and she ended up pushing him a little harder than she intended. He caught himself and propped up on a pair of elbows.

"It's not my fault!" she screamed at him, pulling all sheets towards her body like it was indecent exposure. "No! Not my fault!"

Danny pulled himself off of the bed and paced the room in one quick circle. He felt angry now, angrier than he felt in a very long time. He took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself, then turned back around towards his wife.

"You can't keep doing this to me, Valerie." His eyes were pleading and openly honest. "God, I can't keep doing this. I can't."

Valerie meanwhile hid her face against the comforter, letting loose a jet stream of tears.

He waited for her to pull herself together, but she didn't move, didn't even seem to try.

Blue eyes turned green for a full second before fading back out. He was going to lose his composure any moment. God, Danny needed this, he needed this so badly right now, and here it was, flaunted right in front of him. He was so close. Then she took it away from him like it was something funny and he didn't deserve it.

"Don't you love me, Val? Didn't you marry me?" he bombarded her from across the room, voice rapidly rising.

Valerie didn't bother to show her face and that just made Danny more frustrated. He turned around, spotted the closest object nearest to him, and slammed it to the floor. A porcelain lamp cracked and shattered against the carpet.

"Stop it! _Stop!_" She looked up and gave him a fearful but angry stare. "Don't do this to me! It's _not_ my fault!"

"So what then? Is it me? Is it my fault? I want to know, Valerie. I deserve to know why my own wife won't even sleep with me."

Stone cold stares ensued. She was not willingly to convey any of her feelings to him. _There's nothing wrong with me_, she repeated through her head. _Nothing._

Danny dropped his gaze to the ground. Her silence was the only answer he really needed. The weight that was on his chest became heavier and something in his heart ripped to pieces. All anger was sapped away and replaced with something quite indescribable.

A cold breeze from outside blew against his naked body and brought him to his senses. His human flesh was in the middle of collapsing; maybe his ghost form would take this pain away.

When he went ghost and flew out of the house, nothing had changed but the sudden difficulty he had flying straight.


	4. Chapter 3

Sam's hair was in a disheveled mess and she wore nothing but a pair of purple silk panties as she walked to her coffee machine. Being naked was something she was very, very comfortable with, but felt nervous walking around her apartment without covering at least _one_ of her feminine vulnerabilities. You never know when someone could be watching through some sort of peephole.

_Or when Danny decides to fly through a wall for a visit._

_Sure, _she told herself, shaking her head as she began to poor herself a hot cup. No sugar, very little cream, and it was perfect.

Danny hadn't visited much after his marriage, which was understandable. He had a wife to take care of, it wasn't like he could just take a moment's vacation whenever he pleased. On top of that, creatures from the parallel realm terrorized these streets and he always had to be there to keep the peace.

She yawned and turned away, holding her steaming coffee gingerly in both hands.

_Look at me, still thinking about the man I dumped even after he's been hitched to Mrs. Curves herself._

What did he possibly owe her, anyways?

She sat on one of her two dining chairs, feeling drowsy. Today was Sunday, her day off, and she had slept in until ten. Still, she had never been much of a morning person, and was too sluggish to be aware of anything much besides what was on her mind.

She lifted her mug and took a tiny sip.

"Ouch!" she cursed as it burned her lips. Looks like she'd be waiting another few minutes before she'd come back from the living dead.

As she lifted the cup to blow its steam away, something out of the corner of her living room caught her eye.

Just beyond her couch was a man stretched out on his stomach, wearing nothing but a night T-shirt that was way too small for him and had come straight from Samantha's dresser.

She dropped her mug of coffee. First it hit the wooden table, then bounced onto the vinyl flooring. Coffee pooled around her feet and there was a dangerous pile of broken glass.

But Sam's eyes remained on the sleeping man.

She could recognize him from a mile away.

It was Danny.

Several thoughts permeated through her brain in a matter of seconds: first, why was Danny butt-naked and sleeping on her carpet? Second, was he going to wake up and get a full view of her breasts? Third, why had he taken her shirt and had he seen her lying in bed with _another_ full view of her naked chest? Fourth, what the hell was going on and was he okay?

She stood up quietly, not once taking her gaze off of his slick black hair. A sharp pain jabbed through her right foot and she mumbled a filthy word, looking down to see she had stepped on a piece of the mangled mug. Her foot was sliced open.

"Oh dammit," she said through clenched teeth. Right across her arch, too, and it was painful. Hoping she wouldn't wake Danny, she hopped around the mess and into her kitchen, pulling out a handful of clean kitchen rags and some clear tape from their respected drawers. After wrapping up her foot, she limped into her room, pulling on a raggedy shirt and a homely pair of shorts.

Danny was completely passed out, but he looked absolutely terrible. She crouched down to get a good look at his face and felt a knotted feeling in the pit of her stomach. Yes, something was not right at all. She sniffed the air and thought she smelled vomit; when she turned towards his feet, she saw the empty bottle of vodka and the place where he had spewed it all over the carpet.

Anxiety gripped her as she tried to flip Danny over onto his back. He was so full of sinew and pure muscle that he was heavier than she could imagine, but she managed it. She couldn't help but smile at the shirt he had pulled out of her dresser - it was black with a purple chibi cat in the center, way to big for her, but snug tight on him.

He didn't wake and Sam wondered what to do. How long had he been here? Why hadn't he woken her if he needed something? And why the _hell_ did he think he could go stealing a bottle of vodka, downing it, and wasting it all over her floor? She sighed and brushed away dried vomit from the corners of his lips.

Of course, it was when she looked to his lower half that she got a shocking reminding that all of his manhood was openly exposed. Whatever he had planned on doing in here, he probably hadn't thought he'd be staying for long. Her cheeks burned red and she looked away, feeling as though she had just done some indecent sin. But a good-natured smile was on her face as she looked back down at his closed eyes.

"Not bad, Danny, not bad. Valerie truly hauled in a good catch. I hope that embarrasses you in your sleep. Now let's fix you up."

Minutes later, a pillow was propped underneath his head, a wet, warm rag was spread across his forehead, and he was covered with a soft blanket. Her foot burned with pain but she hadn't really thought about it. Her mind was on Danny and cleaning up the disaster he had made.

She sprayed disinfectants all over his near-dry mess and tried her best to wipe it all clean. Looked like it'd leave a good-sized stain on the cream-colored carpet. Her landlord was really going to appreciate that. She sighed and sat back on the couch.

"Danny, why am I always stuck cleaning things up for you? Some visit!"

He stirred a bit on the floor, but didn't wake up. Perhaps, though, the sound of her voice could bring him to his senses.

"HEY! White-head! My foot's bleeding through my good kitchen rag and now my carpet's stained. It's time to wake up and destroy something else."

His fingers twitched, another decent sign. She smiled.

"And don't worry, I won't tell Valerie, Tucker, your parents, or anybody that I saw your penis and its pair of pals, okay? Seriously, I could sue you for home invasion, indecent exposure, _and _sexual harassment!"

He turned his face onto its other side and he let out a drawn out, I-feel-terrible sort of moan. Sounded as though he was coming to.

Samantha plopped off the couch and leaned towards his face. His eyes were shut tight and screwed up like he was feeling pain - she guessed he was having a hangover and his head was pounding through his ears._ Serves you right, _she almost wanted to say, but she couldn't find it in her heart to do so.

She palmed his forehead and brushed back his floppy hair a few times. The feel of it seemed to help with his pain, so she started to stroke his cheeks with her middle and index finger, soft and gentle movements.

"I know it hurts, Danny, but it's time to wake up. It's time to tell me what's wrong," she said quietly, starting to rub circles into his temples.

His lips parted an his tongue swirled around in his dry mouth.

"…Wahwer.."

Sam furrowed her brows and leaned in closer to his face. "Speak up, I can't hear you."

This time it came out clearer. "Water, please."

Finally, he had woken up. She stood up to get him his request, all the while feeling she deserved to give him a hard time. But at the same time, she was - or used to be - his best friend, and she knew she was glad that, to get wasted and pass out, he had come here. Of all places, at least here it was safer.

When she came back he had already tried propping himself up against the couch and was sitting upright. He held his head in his hands and took deliberate breaths, like he was nauseated.

She sat down on the floor in front of him. When it looked as though he had nothing to say, she started with, "So? What's going on with Danny Phantom? Or is this a Danny Fenton problem?"

He looked up and caught her gaze.

Whatever he had been going through in the past several months after he had last visited, his features had visibly changed. Maybe it was only something someone like Sam could truly notice, but the dark lines underneath his eyes and the lack of shine to his sleek hair had her more worried than before. Something had been going on for longer than she realized.

"There's something wrong with Valerie," he spoke up, hoarse and slow-speaking.

Sam tried to catch his beat but nothing came to mind. "Something like what? What do you mean?"

He shook his head and looked towards the floor like he hadn't said what he'd meant. "She's been…sick. Weird sick…"

Her belly did little flutters and an idea was already forming in her mind. A weird kind of sick? Like what, morning sickness? Certainly not cancer, he would have called sooner.

"Okay, she's not pregnant, is she? Do you two use any type of birth control? God please tell me you do," she voiced in a bit of a panic. Danny Phantom/ Fenton? A father? Just what would the baby be like? Turning intangible and falling through to the center of the earth at the age of six months. If not maybe kidnapped and held hostage by Skulker?

Danny had a tight smile on his face. It was very bitter.

"No, no. You have to…you have to have sex to get pregnant. No, she can't be pregnant. That's not why she doesn't want to sleep with me."

He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Samantha. Still, she started to feel uncomfortable, listening to the absurd things he was saying. Apparently he and Valerie were having problems in bed? But why? What exactly could be the problem?

"What do you mean, Danny?" she asked in a quiet, serious tone. "What do you mean she won't sleep with you?"

"I can't do it anymore," he went on to say, staring blankly at the floor. "It aches too much. Every time I think she loves me again she shuts down and pushes me off. I can't do it anymore, Sam. What am I supposed to do?"

He shot his blue eyes her way and seemed to beg for her help. It was damn pitiful and she hadn't ever seen anything like this before.

"I… Don't really know what to say," she said, twittling her fingers against her thigh, a nervous twitch. "How much exactly did you drink last night?"

"I'm not drunk, or hallucinating," he responded. This time he sounded more like his old self and the confusion was fading from his eyes. "There's something wrong with Valerie. It's so obvious. Every night I climb into bed and I see the look in her eyes. It's like…"

"Fear?" Sam chirped in.

"Yeah. Something like fear," he said, dropping his face back in his hands.

"Okay? Well… Has she always been like this? I mean, since…"

He looked back up and stared at the wall. "Yes. Our very first night was like that… Except, I convinced her to… And she…was fine. But after that it was almost impossible."

It hadn't been a full year yet, but Danny said they were having problems from the get-go. And though she was only hearing his side of the story, it sounded as though Valerie was the root of the problem. Going even further, it sounded as though her problem was…

"Genophobia," she stated simply, eyes piercing and calm.

He furrowed his brows and silence passed between them.

"Genophobia is the fear of sex. I don't know, it's just a hunch. You're telling me your wife seems afraid of you as soon as the prospect of sex is put on the table. Im obviously don't know all the details and, unless there's something you're not telling me about, that's all I can think of."

Sam twiddled her thumbs together and studied Danny's face. He seemed to soaking it in, as the look on his face was more of realization than anything otherwise. She decided to continue, gently, but informatively.

"I don't know what really causes it but I think it usually has to do with the general fear of the initial pain of intercourse… But you said she isn't a virgin… So if she hasn't gotten over it on her own in a year, Danny," she touched his leg in a concerned way, "then she needs help. You need to work it out with her or you'll be the one to suffer."

The words would echo in Danny's head for days afterwards, perhaps even until the very end.


	5. Chapter 4

_About four months later..._

His hand quivered, but the moisture was severely lacking in his reddened eyes. He looked calm on the outside. Much too calm.

_Don't let her get to you, Danny. You're too great of a person to deserve this._

Samantha's most famous words. She had told him that on the phone earlier this morning, before he left the house to meet Valerie at court. Now he was back in the privacy of his office, staring at the monitor of his laptop. He and Valerie were officially divorced now.

After his first talk with Sam, Danny had gone home and tried to work things out with Val. He was kind to her. He apologized for the way he had acted. He promised that he would never make her do anything she wasn't comfortable with, not for any reason whatsoever. She listened to him. She seemed content with things that way.

Until, he asked her to get help for her problem.

He said she should see some form of therapy, even suggested a "marriage doctor."

Things went downhill from then on.

They argued every day. Danny began to sleep in a guest bedroom. Valerie refused any and all forms of help and even began to put the blame on him, much to his dismay. The days went by until he realized things were hopeless; there was nothing he could do if she wasn't willing to cooperate. A few days of stone silence passed between the couple until Danny was pulled to the computer.

He was only a human being, only a healthy young man. Days without any stimulation came with a price. His morality and his confidence was trashed as soon as he visited his first pornographic website.

He kept it under the wraps and tried to limit himself to just under an hour a day. But every page he turned and every moment he spent thinking of his crumbling marriage only made it harder to pull himself away. It was only a momentary release; once he got too tired and walked away he felt worse than he had minutes before.

Danny saw himself as nothing more than a failure. A disgrace to his family and friends.

It didn't take long before Valerie suspected and then found the website. Instead of trying to understand or to even try to work it out, she simply screamed at him for days and refused to sleep in the same house as him. Danny, feeling weighted with guilt, decided to stay in a hotel until the divorce was finalized.

Today, Danny Fenton was no longer a married man. The freedom he used to enjoy was all his once more; if only he could find the will to keep living. Even now, as the laptop blinked on and whirred to life, he couldn't scrape up the desire to look at any more of those pictures that had been the final downfall for his dream life. He closed it back up and sat silently in the chair, while his eyes began to pool over their rims.

Still, the look on his face was simply blank_._


	6. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: I'M SO SORRY! I accidently skipped a chapter earlier. This was a very important chapter too so please read this and then reread the next chapter :) Thank you!**

_

* * *

_

_Another four months later._

Valerie hopped into her new Jaguar. Inside reeked the smell of cigarette smoke and new leather. As she got herself situated in the driver's seat, she eyed the man sitting in the passenger's seat. He was rugged and had a bit of a cowboy look to him, which she was strangely attracted to. Danny was far from a cowboy.

His name was Eric, and he was at least five years her senior. That made him about twenty-nine, thirty maybe? Again, it made her tummy turn. This rebellious new life was just what she had been needing. What was better was that she had managed to avoid the topic of sex, even though they'd come close to it one night. Conveniently she had texted Danny and asked him to call her before things got too raunchy with Eric. Danny did call, and Valerie simply used it as an excuse to leave her boyfriend's house.

"Step on it, babe. I need a six pack and a bottle of rum," the blonde barked, the smell of beer mixing with his cig-smoke.

She smiled and pulled out of the driveway of the Phantom mansion, which was hers now. Danny so kindly signed it all over to her. He kept a lot of money, but half of that was hers, too.

_What a stupid man,_ she thought to herself. Her foot immediately got heavier on the gas.

* * *

Samantha was watching football that evening, just for kicks. She had a Heineken in her hand and was feeling sluggish.

She had lost her zeal ever since Danny had been crushed by his divorce with Valerie. She tried to visit and call him often, but if she had to be honest, it was only frightening to see him. He was so heart-broken and messed up that even she stayed up late every night, either crying herself to sleep or just thinking about his situation. She wanted so much to help him, but she had no idea where to start. Part of her also wondered if she'd be able to control herself; the fact that Danny willingly signed over his own house and his material possessions would always sicken her. That scumbag of a woman didn't deserve a thing her ex-husband had earned.

She clicked away from her sports channel and went to the news.

There, Sam watched but didn't quite pay attention, as several newscasters talked back and forth through their microphones.

"The authorities aren't ready to release the name of the young woman, yet, Tom, but they're in the process of removing both her and the man who was in the car with her. The man was pronounced dead just moments ago."

The blonde stood in view of the cameraman and held her mic tentatively, while plumes of dark smoke blew around them. In the background was what looked like a terrible car crash.

"A terrible tragedy, Paula. How are the firefighters faring in this situation?"

"Actually they've been very diligent with their work and haven't faltered once. Traffic on I43 has been stopped a while back so they can work freely to save the lives of those who are still alive. Two men in their mid-thirties who were critically injured have already been transported by air to the nearest hospital."

Sam took a heavy swig of her beer and began to listen in on the newscast. I43 was the highway that led to Amity Park.

"Okay, Tom, the woman who was just released from her car is in critical condition but is indeed still conscious. She's being wheeled away as I speak. It's likely we won't get her identity until she has been treated first."

The woman moved to the side and the camera zoomed in on the image of the firefighters pulling a young woman away by a stretcher. For a moment, you could see her whole face clearly. Sam's heart skipped a beat.

The bottle of Heineken in her hand fell to the carpet below, beer foam spewing everywhere.

The woman in the stretcher was Valerie.

* * *

The heart monitor beeped steadily and Danny stood above the hospital bed with a gentle gaze.

Her big almond eyes were closed peacefully with sleep, though she otherwise looked terrible. Bruises, cuts, and scrapes seemed to cover every angle of her body. It made the man shiver. It was already hard enough to look at her, to be around her again, but seeing her like this after so many weeks?

He hoped there wouldn't be any paparazzi taking pictures of her this way. He didn't want the public to see his ex-wife lying in this bed, nor did he want her to wake up and see pictures of him standing over her… He would linger a while longer, and leave before she ever noticed him. Before _anyone _noticed him.

The accident was yesterday afternoon and she had been in close watch ever since. She was in great condition compared to the other seven people involved in the crash, whom six had already died and the last was in critical condition. How did she manage to come out alive?

What would he have done if she had been killed yesterday?

And the man that was in the car with her… Danny would forever wonder why she was with him. He would forever speculate on the relationship they shared, whether or not she thought it was better than what she had in her first marriage. Had that man been able to touch her like Danny had? Had Valerie been more comfortable, more satisfied?

Leaning closer towards her side, his heart ached for so many reasons.

He wanted to be there for her in case she woke up and was upset over the man's death. He wanted to say how he wish he could have protected her better and that he was happier than words could describe that she was still alive. Maybe, even, that she was apparently ready to move on with a new person…

But, he knew, all of these feelings bottled up inside were pointless. She wasn't in love with him anymore. His chance to be her shoulder was done and passed.

He sighed, an exhale full of desperation. To kiss her one last time would be all he could ask for. To kiss her and have her kiss back, like she meant it.

Standing up out of his chair, he focused on his inner power. His flesh and his clothing turned intangible and the faint outline of his cold ghostly form could just barely be noticed. The room must've grown colder because Valerie seemed to cuddle closer to the blanket.

Danny cupped her face in his palms. She could not feel his touch, but his fingers tingled with the warmth of her human essence. Inching his face closers towards her, he hovered over her lips. His own started to quiver.

"I still love you," he whispered under his breath.

Then he began to float away, through the walls of the third story. Valerie did not even stir.

Meanwhile, a gothic girl watched from the glass window on the door to the room. There were tears of defeat in her eyes as she turned away and headed for the nearest elevator.


	7. Chapter 6

"Oh, Danny. It's so good to hear your voice again."

Danny's whole demeanor sunk and he put his glass of soda back on the table. Samantha, sitting across from him, felt her whole body turn heavy. It must be Valerie calling him again. Why? Gripping the table knife next to her plate, she felt the sharp pricks dig into her skin.

"Hi," he responded, gazing at his lap.

"I'm still sorry about those hospital bills, Danny. If Eric was still alive he would have taken care of it, and I just can't deal with it right now," Sam heard her loud voice from across the table.

"I know. It's fine," he told her, eyes soft but pained. Even though they both knew the hospital bills always took months to come anyhow.

"So when they finally come in the mail, just write down the amounts and I'll pay you back sometime, okay?"

_Wicked liar,_ Sam thought to herself, staring daggers into Danny's cell phone.

Valerie jabbed on about nothing for just a little bit longer, while Danny answered her half-heartedly. When he hung up the phone, he looked exhausted. That was the routine he had lately. Valerie calls whenever he's trying to have good time, and he hangs up feeling hollow again. Lately, Sam had been near Danny's side almost every day, trying to take him to lunches, dinners, walking - whatever kept his mind off of Valerie.

But how was that supposed to work when she wouldn't leave him the hell alone?

Danny sighed and stared, uninterested, at his plate of barely-touched food.

Sam pulled out her wallet and set a few bills down on the table. "C'mon, Danny. Let's just go. She's ruined another day yet again."

He looked sad and confused, almost like a little child, looking for some sort of guidance as he sat there.

"Don't you need change?" he asked, staring at the $40 dollars that would be more than enough for their meals.

She had already stood out of her chair and had her arm looping through his. "Don't worry about it," was all she said, and she tugged him out of his chair. Together, they walked in silence out of the restaurant and headed for Sam's car.

As she fumbled for her keys, Sam felt a hand on her shoulder, and gave Danny a questioning look when she turned to see the look on his face. He looked rather wistful.

"Let's fly today," he suggested, studying her smooth face. He smiled when her face instantly seemed to light up, a faint grin playing across her lips.

"Flying together… I have to admit, I've missed that a lot. But," she glanced at her green vehicle uneasily, "what about my car?"

"Don't worry. I'll come back for your car in a bit. Let's just fly, Sam. I want to fly," he practically begged.

How could she even say 'no' to that? Her heart made flutters as he turned his back to her and beckoned her to hop right on. Excitement as well as other mixed emotions coursed through her as she gave him a great big hug from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck. A few spectators had begun to steal glances at the conspicuous couple.

"Ready?" he asked, his hands reaching up to touch her choke-hold arms. When she said 'yes,' he changed gears and phased into his ghostly alibi, and together they soared through the open air. Men, women, and children clapped tumultuously for the Danny Phantom that this town knew and loved. There was a chance somebody was even snapping some pictures for the newspapers tomorrow morning. Sam could see it now: "_Phantom Back to Relationships?_"

She smiled.

He flew at a leisurely pace. From the altitude they were at, the people looked like ants. The trees, almost like mushrooms or parasols. It was colder up here but closer to the sun; somehow, this atmosphere was like heaven to her, even if the air was thinner and had her sucking in deeper breaths.

The longer they flew, the more that Sam began to feel herself crying. First it was like a simple stream of tears that even the wind could have provoked. It steadily became downpours of teardrops as the emotions ran deep inside of her. As if Danny could feel a sob or two, he squeezed Sam's arms affectionately.

Perhaps, somehow, Danny would heal after all. Maybe Sam _could _do something for him? She buried her moist face into his neck and kept it there the entire flight home, jumbled thoughts fogging her mind.

If only they could fly together forever. Would that help both of them heal?

* * *

A day later, Sam was eating dinner at Danny's place. He had bought himself a house last week, contract already signed. Though he didn't have the mass amount of money like before (thanks to Valerie), he still had thousands to spare and live pleasantly. He had just moved in and he, Sam, and Tucker were celebrating with him in his new home. It had been a while since the three of them had last hung out like this together - several years, in fact. The trio felt themselves missing it more than ever as Danny opened a bottle of vodka and juiced a few lemons.

"Why did we never clink a few beers and make our own dinners at Danny's place?" Tucker asked in disbelief, as Danny set a humble Lemon Drop in front of him.

"Because," Sam said with a small laugh, sipping on her sour drink, "we were underage the last time we did this."

Danny sat down quietly at the table, and the girl of the group couldn't help but notice the twitch of his hands and the way his eyes kept darting back to the kitchen. Suspicious, she took another gulp of the mixed drink. They started up a game of poker and kept the conversation mostly positive. Eventually Danny suckered them into some Gin an Tonics when the simple-syrup disappeared.

Hours later, Tucker was the first to drop out. He left about eleven and gave Danny a huge bear-hug. Even after all this time and distance, the two still clicked like best buds. Like Sam, Tucker found it hard to forgive Valerie for what she had done and was still doing to their Danny.

"Don't get married again unless I'm there to scope things out. I've always been the man with the intuition," he said with conspiratorial wiggles of his brow. Sam practically pushed him out of the doorway as Danny laughed at his "nearly homosexual" comment.

Minutes later, Sam and Danny were lounging on his couches, talking idly as the clock neared midnight. They were both tired, not having the same steaming energy as they did when they were eighteen. Sam had to work tomorrow morning, too.

"I still don't see why you couldn't accept some money from me," Danny brought up, peering at her with a small frown. "Obviously I have some to spare. I don't know what to do with it half the time…"

"I will never ask for your hard-earned money, Danny. Not unless I'm forced to sell the clothes off of my back," she asserted, serious in tone. Her hand was moving in circles as she swished the ice around her glass.

Honestly, she thought he would have shaken his head and refuted her pride; that's what the old Danny would have done. The new Danny, however, seemed to ignore the subject instead of pursuing it. He gulped down his drink and stood up from the couch, looking tired and absent-minded. His eyes seemed to be searching for something as he scanned the kitchen counter.

"Well, it's getting late and I know you have to wake up early tomorrow," he suggested lightly, starting to pick up plastic plates and cups from the end table. Samantha sat up and began to help him collect all of the trash, suddenly feeling more tired than just moments before. Her eyes fluttered as she walked over to the garbage can to toss everything in her hands.

When she was escorted towards his door, Danny wrapped her up in a tight hug that she returned.

"You've got a great place here, Danny, to start fresh." She backed away and kept her hands on his shoulders. "I'm proud of you."

He couldn't seem to hold her gaze.


	8. Chapter 7

Sam had been driving from Danny's house a mere four minutes when she went digging in her purse for her cell phone and found it wasn't in there.

She sighed a frustrated sigh to herself and turned the car around via a side street. Poor Danny was probably undressing and getting ready for some sleep, and she had no way of letting him know she was coming back. Hopefully he had already found the phone and was waiting for her to realize it and turn back 'round, or even flying it to her.

"I'm too tired for this tonight," she muttered, going as far as to turn the radio on to keep her more alert.

Almost four minutes later, she had pulled into Danny's driveway and was stepping up to the door. There was only dim lighting shining through the kitchen window; she hesitated before knocking. What if he had crashed right away?

Her question was proven wrong immediately after she thought of it. There, behind the glass, Samantha could see Danny's shape hovering over his kitchen countertops. His face was shadowed but she could tell by the slump of his shoulders that he was distraught. Oh, she just knew him too well.

A guilt feeling struck her in the gut as she crept forward. Was she really about to spy on Danny? Something in the mannerisms of Danny's silhouette kept her feet locked in place.

On the counter there was a syringe, sparkling in the shadowy glow. There were tiny droplets leaking onto the surface where it sat, clearly having just been used. Then, as her eyes swept over to the end of the counter, she saw the opened bottle of some sort of prescription pills.

As he lifted his palms to his face, that was when everything started making sense.

A horrible kind of fury overtook her, clouding out her better judgment.

_No, Danny._

With anger as hot as fire, Samantha, with tears starting to pour from her eyes, let her knees crumple beneath her and fell into the weeds below. At first, it was a silent sob, the kind that flushed the face and felt more like laughter.

The salty water of her sorrow climbed down her cheeks and watered her clothes, while all she could think about was what she had just witnessed outside of Danny's unwelcoming window. This, beyond a doubt, was the final straw.

_I trusted you; I had faith in you! _she screamed in her mind.

She clenched her teeth hard and pulled herself off the ground. She stumbled over the concrete path before she made it back to the front door and began to pound on it with her fists. She threw her anger against the door so hard that her knuckles seemed to crack. Once, twice, three times. And the moment that Danny had swung the door open, she was hitting him square on the chest.

"You could've told me! I hate that you never tell me!" she screamed in her shrillest voice, while refusing to look up at his face. This was a voice he had never heard before, and he could do nothing more than gape at her as realization began to settle in.

"ANSWER ME!" she destroyed the silence.

She started to push him backwards and he crashed into the end table just beyond the door. A clay vase crashed to the tile below. As he was regaining balance she was still pounding her hands against his body, unable to control her chaotic emotions. Danny finally grabbed a hold of her right arm and began to force her to step back. He squeezed harder as she tried to twist out of his grip, to the point where she started to realize just how much it was hurting. She gave in to his force and stopped squirming, breathing hard from the adrenaline rush. She had also been backed up against a wall, and the feeling of claustrophobia was hinted in the quivers her body tried to hold back.

Finally, she looked at Danny's face. Still clenching his hand around her wrist, he looked at her as well.

"God Sam! You just have to be involved in everything," he growled through clenched teeth. Green eyes glared vividly, though he was still in his human body. "You were the last person that I wanted to hurt…"

Anger turned to sorrow in seconds as the man's legs seemed to give way beneath him and he fell to his knees. With his hands covering his face, he prostrated himself so low to the ground that his forehead was touching the tiled floor.

"Oh God, Sam. I need your help. I need so much help," he choked through tears.

Sam watched with such torn desires, wanting to be angry at everything and everyone, but wanting to understand Danny more than ever. The anger was fading fast and being replaced by an eerie calmness. She needed him more than he realized, but she hated to be a selfish person. Right now, she had to forget about everything she felt, because Danny was on the verge of losing himself forever.

A wave of sadness swept over her and she too fell to the floor, drawing Danny's face into her chest. As the first tear trailed down her cheek, she pressed her face into the back of his neck and they began to cry together. These were the moments she realized that their lives would never be the same.

His right hand grasped for her shirt and he clung to her shoulder, welcoming her embrace like a son seeking to be consoled by his mother. She searched for words to say, but only garbled thoughts choked her mind and blurred the lines of reality. Caught up in the moment, she blurted out the first sentence that made sense to her, and it all just came out from there.

"Danny, you have to let go of this. You're going to kill yourself, and you're going to kill me!" Her heart pounded hard, through her ears. Her hands began to shake. "You are _everything_ to me, Danny. Isn't there something I can do? Am I not good enough to make you happy again?"

Still, he kept his head low, burying his face further into her body.

"I would never have let you go if I had known things would end up this way." Sam shut her eyes tight and let her head fall until her chin touched her chest. Hoping he'd understand what she was trying to say, she reiterated it.

"I'm so sorry I've put you through this. I love you, Danny, with everything I am. Please try to be happy. Can't you come to love me again?"

"Sam, no," he growled, lifting himself to look at her face. Wet-cheeked, he cupped her face in his calloused hands and held her stiff. "Don't ever say those words again."

"But…"

"I've done this to my own self and you had nothing to do with it. I am sick, just sick. And I do need you."

He let go of her face and she threw herself against him, so tight that she could hear his heartbeat. Sam feared this new Danny, but still felt the same warmth and comfort she had always found in his touch. Silently, she rested her body against his and closed her eyes, wishing in the back of her mind that she was curled up in her bed, oblivious to the world's pain. Innocence had been taken for granted.

For a while, Danny sat up against the wall, hugging Sam and shivering uncontrollably. Normally, the pain pills and various drugs would numb his senses for a while and lull him into sleep, but it seemed that Sam's presence was a stronger force and made him feel all of his emotional pain, full force. A trickle of sweat dripped down his brow. His eyes were unfocused.

As they lay there together, Danny felt a cold sensation run through his chest, and he exhaled a breath of cold, blue air. There was a ghoul somewhere near. Blinking slowly, he ran his fingers through Sam's slick, black hair and pushed his cheek against her scalp. He was too drained to even attempt to fight it, whatever it was, and so he let himself 'go ghost' and floated, with Sam still wrapped around him, through the floors of his house and through the blackness of dirt. He tunneled his way far, far away from that shadowed place, eventually resurfacing above-ground and stopping only when he had reached Samantha's homely little bed in her apartment.

She was still wide awake, but barely seemed to have noticed that they had traveled back to her home. She still clung to him desperately, so he lay back on top of the comforter and snuggled against her. For him, the tears had ceased, but Sam still retched occasionally with a sob or a hiccup.

"I just ran away from a ghost…" he mumbled through his lightheadedness. "It's come down to this. I'll never be a hero again."

Sam blinked and stared at her black comforter, sickened by his words. It was true, the old Danny wouldn't have run from trouble. But the old Danny also wouldn't be intoxicated with narcotics. The old Danny would be in love with Samantha…

"I…used to dream, when I was young… About being a hero. I wanted to save the world. 'N then, it was like my wish was granted when I got my ghost powers. A year later, I really did save the world. I saved the world, Sam. I think back on that almost everyday. I can't believe… I can't believe I rescued this world once!"

"Oh, Danny…" she whispered, a smile breaking across her face. She snuggled closer to him and began to reminisce. "Thank you for saving my world. You've been the most amazing best friend I have ever asked for. The best boyfriend, too. I wish it was me you had married. I've wished it for so long. Does that make me a terrible person?"

Danny's eyes twitched with new tears he was trying to force back. His fingertips traced the letter 'S' across her shoulder and he bit his lip.

She continued, "I only ever broke it off with you because I was trying to help this world, too. When we were together, the two of us only ever saw each others' faces. There was work to be down, and you were distracted by me… I never, ever, expected you to love…Valerie."

Fresh wounds she had been holding back began to reopen, and it hurt more than she anticipated. But, maybe telling all this to Danny would make him reconsider her, recover from his sickness…

"Part of me has never once stopped loving you, Sam. I'm a terrible person too, because deep down I knew it, but I still let myself fall for Valerie. I really believed you didn't want to be with me. And Valerie came back into my life, offering me a distraction from the real world. From you, even."

He stared blankly across the room, eyes foggy. Regret was inked across his every feature.

Nothing would ever be the same again. He knew it.

"Sam… I love you very, very much. I'm glad I don't have to keep it to myself anymore. But…"

With a chill, Sam clutched at his shirt. She knew what was coming before he was able to say it.

"…Somewhere, deep inside me, I know that we can't ever be together again."

Despite herself, Sam felt something like anger flare up inside her and she ground her teeth. She understood.

"After everything she's done to you… You still _love _her?"

Momentary silence, until he replied softly, "Yes. Part of me forgives her. Some of me still loves her. Sam…"

He grabbed her by her shoulders and pushed her away from him, so he could see her face. She kept her eyes shut tight and her head tilted forward, fighting back humiliation and fresh tears. He began to wipe them away and hated himself more than ever.

"That's why I can't ever ask you to be mine again. You deserve someone who can love you back with everything he has to give. Every last piece of himself. No ghost powers, no other women, no evil beings trying to destroy him, a man you're allowed to be with…"

Sam listened to his words that night. She understood why he said what he did, and she respected him more because of it. But that night, she would carry away with her burdens that she would never shake off.

"I'll never love anyone else," she whispered as she watched him fly away an hour later, white hair shining with moonlight.


	9. Chapter 8

_A while later._

The days had started blending in together for Sam. Something inside of her had changed and she tried not to think about it. Most mornings when she woke up, it felt as though an iron ball was sitting in the pit of her stomach, dragging her down. Twenty-five years old and she just didn't know where this life was headed…

Danny recently agreed to get some private help. So far, it hadn't done much, but his therapist said that it would take time to both overcome the addiction and heal the wounds that had caused this distress in the first place.

When he confessed to his parents shortly after Sam found out, they were shocked and practically thrown into turmoil themselves. But his mother, Maddie, most of all was very cooperative and was the one who insisted he get himself back together with some help.

"Just because you have your powers, it doesn't make you invincible," she had asserted. And together the family vowed to keep his addiction as secretive as possible. If the public found out, it would make things difficult. Probably impossible.

Danny hadn't told Valerie a thing. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't care. The less that freak knew, the better. It was bad enough the mental-case of a woman was still harassing Danny from time to time, as if he still had something to owe her. And Danny rolled over like a dog and let himself be inwardly tormented more than ever.

Samantha was infuriated by it. She could see how much it hurt him just to be reminded that she existed somewhere out there just to use him. Only a few minutes ago, Danny had called Sam up in tears, confessing to her about the many phone calls Val had given him recently…and how they almost always caused a relapse for him.

Sam sighed heavily and turned the steering wheel of her car sharply. Her eyes were dull and cold. Danny was slowly dying. She could see it, and now she _knew_ that she had to take care of it. Even if they wouldn't ever be together like _that_, Sam would always take care of Danny. From now on she would strive to be his crutch. If he needed something, dammit, she'd do anything in her mortal power to give it to him.

Tears of anger and sorrow threatened to spill over the rims of her eyes as she turned into a shady cul-de-sac. There, she stopped her car and sat in quiet thought.

In front of her was the gate the to Fenton mansion. Valerie was inside there somewhere, living in the home she had practically been handed by her compassionate ex, a man she never deserved. The public all hated the fact that she was in there, too, and they didn't even know the details of the divorce.

Danny was fighting more than just visible ghosts these days. He was now fighting bigger enemies, the inner ghosts inside of him that tore up his soul, day by day. And just a couple hundred feet away there was the woman who had triggered this horrible tragedy.

_God, please help me hold back from stabbing her in the heart. I'll mutilate her deceitful face._

A car came pulling in behind her. Shiny, black, expensive. Her heart stopped when she saw who it was behind the wheel.

Apparently Valerie was just now getting home herself.

Sam glared daggers at her through her rearview mirror as the copper-skinned woman stared back. She didn't care that she was blocking the way to the gate. It gave her more time to rip Valerie apart.

The "life-ruiner" was already stepping out of her car door, staring at Sam with suspicion. Sam reflected her movements and before long was face to face with her.

Tense silence passed by them for a few moments before Valerie broke the silence by clearing her throat. She looked really nervous, but was holding her ground nonetheless.

"Is there a reason why you're parked in my driveway?" she asked with a snooty frown. Her eyes wandered up and down as if seeing Sam for the first time.

"You should know damn well why I'm here," Sam grunted, feeling the angry fire suddenly intensify tenfold now that the confrontation she had been dreaming about was finally happening. With fists clenched she growled, "Your fakeness has to stop, and it has to stop _today_."

A small chuckle came from Valerie. Raising a skeptical brow, she responded, "Excuse me?"

Sam's teeth clenched. "No, you're not excused. You are the filthiest piece of trash in a rotten pile of rubbish and everyone can smell your deceit from miles away." With that, Sam pursed her lips and spat a glob of saliva at Valerie's feet.

Realizing Sam might be more serious than she had originally thought, Valerie took a disgusted step backwards and muttered, "Get off of my property right now, Manson."

Sam let out a dry and brittle laugh, a light breeze ruffling her black ponytail.

"_Your_ property? Hahaha! You scumbag, the whole world knows this house doesn't belong to you. How can you even sleep at night, knowing you took a home away from a man who saved the lives of every single person alive today? Took away, not only his home, but his smile, too. Do you know what it takes to get Danny to smile these days? No, you wouldn't know. You probably can't even bring _yourself_ to smile anymore."

With the emotion hitting its peak, Sam was too blinded to see it come in time. Valerie struck out with her palm across her left cheek. Sam didn't even flinch. Reacting with instinct, she swung her arm and slammed her own palm hard against Valerie's face. The woman went stumbling backwards and ended up doubled over in pain.

Sam kept on her face of murder as she strode forward and bent down in front of Valerie. She inhaled deeply as she reached for the young woman's collar and tugged on it unmercifully.

With their noses almost touching, Sam stared deep into her dark brown eyes.

"Listen to me closely, pig-headed woman. You have serious problems that you need to get help for. I know deep down that you see it too."

Valerie's eyes gave a distinct flicker and opened wide. Sam continued on passionately.

"You had the most amazing husband this world has to offer and you couldn't even bring yourself to love him back. A man who was ready to love you to death for years and years to come, and that didn't excite you in the least. The most disgusting part of it all as that you _know _all this, and that's why you keep harassing him. Like a selfish coward, you're afraid of being alone. Danny is the only person left in this world who still loves you."

Giving a snort, she let go of Valerie's collar and stood back up. Hatred and self-control was written in all her features - it was obvious that if she was provoked too much, she'd try and tear Valerie from limb to limb.

"Well, guess what, Valerie? I came here to tell you that it's game over. Danny is dying now. He is dying, you sick bastard. There is no more light in his eyes. He's in this…" Tears began to well up in Sam's purple eyes before it had even registered in her brain. "…This deep hole that I don't think he'll ever climb out of. I've tried all I can to help. Does that make you happy? Your fakeness is killing him slowly and you'll be alone forever."

Valerie couldn't look Sam in the eyes. She sat quietly in the dirt, a palm holding her red face and a blank look in her pupils. No smile, no frown.

Sam wiped tears off of her cheeks and began backing away.

"Go ahead and call the cops on me if you'd like. Hitting you was wrong but it really felt nice," she muttered darkly. "I'll do anything for Danny to smile again. He's my hero. An amazing man. He could've been yours. Keep that in mind when you're sleeping alone tonight."

With that, Sam opened her car door and crumpled into the driver's chair. As she started to back the car out, she took one last glance at the woman sitting in the dirt. She had her face buried in her hands. Sam felt something twist in her heart and she didn't understand what it meant.

Moments later, she was headed for home.


	10. Chapter 9

_A few months later…_

The cops had never come. Sam had lived each new day expecting the flashing lights to appear at her door.

More importantly, Danny hadn't gotten a call, text, letter - nothing ever from Valerie.

There was still time for her to try and make contact again, but for now, Sam was glad to see that Danny, though he admitted he wondered about her sudden silence, was starting to relax.

And yet, to Sam's disbelief, there was still something missing. A broken chain in the link. Danny wasn't smiling yet.

And so, Sam wouldn't smile, either.

It was a cool day in November and it felt so nice out that Sam took Danny by the hand and led him out to the grass in his backyard. Together, they lay on their backs and tried their best to concentrate on the clouds in the sky.

Sam's mind began to drift for a while.

So much had gone by in the past year and a half. This was not the way she expected her young twenties to turn out, but it was happening nonetheless.

_Oh, if only. _The phrase that kept rewinding through her mind all day, every day.

There was an aching inside of her gut that appeared after her confrontation with Valerie, which she hadn't spoken a word about to Danny. She was too afraid he'd get upset to the point of seeking out Valerie's forgiveness, and that was the last thing they _all _needed. He just needed to take it easy some more… No further emotional disturbances. Besides, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had betrayed his love for Valerie by doing what she did.

She turned her head to look at Danny. Her eyes wandered over his face with tenderness. A mixture of maternal feelings and an overpowering sensation of fear and love overwhelmed her and she scooted across the grass to cuddle into his side. She rested her head on his chest and hoped he wouldn't mind. Even though Danny still loved Valerie, Sam just knew she'd always love Danny.

"Sam," he murmured questioningly, still staring up at the sky, "does the colder weather make you feel different?"

She blinked softly and watched the far-off distance, pondering the question.

"I've never told anyone this because I thought it was kind of pathetic, but when the first signs of cold weather appear, I feel some sort of inner completeness. I cannot describe it in words, but something inside of me just feels content," she replied in a gentle tone.

He only exhaled a small sigh in reply, and a little bit of her heart sunk. She had almost hoped to hear him agree with her and smile, acknowledging that he understood what she meant.

"I've been thinking…" he explained, clearing his throat a tad. "I should take a quiet vacation. Soon there'll be too much snow to bother with traveling. So I asked Tucker last night and he said he'd like to take me on a fishing trip in Wyoming."

Sam bolted upright, feeling a burst of energy coursing though her body. For Danny to be interested in some fun activities meant that he was getting some of his old personality back…right?

"I think that's a great idea," she told him repeating her thoughts out loud with a toothy grin. "You and Tucker need to hang out more anyway. Get away from ghost fighting, get away from public, get away from me."

Danny was quiet, but shifted his gaze towards her.

"Thank you, Sam. For not giving up on me. I'm going to need you."

He sat up and gave Sam a big hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Sam felt a few sparks of hope flare up in her belly - yet at the same time, something inside of her died.

"I'll always be here," she whispered, feeling tears heat up her face.


	11. Chapter 10

Danny sat on the edge of the dock, his legs dangling over the side. His blue eyes stared at the water's reflection and followed around a small fish that circled around the surface out of pure curiosity. Rhythmically, he continued to reel in his lure, but wasn't paying too much attention to the line at all.

Tucker was a few yards away, casting his line far into the lake. So far they hadn't caught very much, but the last couple of days had been nothing but quiet relaxation in some beautiful scenery. Danny admitted they he was enjoying himself immensely. They hadn't drank any alcohol, and Danny hadn't been disturbed by any forces of evil. Tomorrow, they were going to go hiking.

Still, he couldn't totally relax.

Danny found that his mind kept wandering back to Samantha. Every stray thought involved her. A little trickle of anxiety dampened his lightened spirit when he thought of how far away she currently was from his side.

It must be that he was spending too much time with her. She had become too much of a crutch for him. Maybe this trip apart from her was better than he first thought.

But as he pondered about it more deeply, a sudden thought flashed in the front of his brain and a wave of nausea overtook him. Clarity swept away the fog that had been clouding his mind the past several months, in one instance.

He thought of the conversation he had with Sam when they were laying in the grass. He hadn't thought of it until now, but something had been missing about her. He had been too wrapped up in his own self-pity to see it then.

Sam was losing her fiery glow. There was no more light in her eyes.

Why hadn't he realized it sooner?

His grip on his fishing pole loosened a bit and he bit his lip. A horrible sensation of panic grabbed hold of him and the left side of his chest began to tense and tighten. Heart racing and breathing turning rapid, he knew after a few moments that he was having a panic attack, and most times a panic attack meant he was having a relapse. But this time was different; he wasn't aching just for drugs, he was also dying to see Sam's face again, blushed and bright with a beautiful, wide smile.

She wasn't happy anymore, and it was his fault.

Oh, what had he been doing this whole time? She had told him that she was still in love with him, and he hadn't taken that to heart. Meanwhile, she had spent every waking moment by his side because he couldn't handle being alone anymore. So not fair… What price had Sam paid for her undying loyalty?

Did she hate him now? The thought of it made his hands reach instinctively for his pockets, where he normally would have some sort of narcotic for safekeeping. He remember then that his pockets were empty. Tucker had plucked all of his pant-pockets clean before they left for the lake this morning. The only thing Danny had was that bottle of prescription pills hidden away in his bag, back at the cabin.

A cold sweat came over his body as the panic settled in. In training exercises during his rehab therapy, the doctors would tell him to sit down, control his breathing, and to tighten his grip on something malleable, to give a sensation of being in control. There wasn't much around, so Danny scrapped up a handful of grass and soil and squeezed hard.

For what felt like forever, he sat, breathing hard and quietly, while clenching and unclenching his handful of dirt. But nothing seemed to help. The image of Samantha's pale, emotionless face would not leave his mind.

"She hates me!" he cried under his breath. His hands flung the dirt away and the fishing pole dropped into the water.

Tucker was several yards away, casting a line into the lake, and didn't even notice Danny transform to his ghost form and float away towards the cabin.

There, Danny now sat in his unfamiliar room, and began popping the pills, one by one. Still, his heart quivered with this newfound fear that he was truly alone. Thanks to the way he had treated Valerie, she was gone from his life, and soon Sam would leave him, too, wouldn't she? His eyes began to droop…

His mind was getting hazy, but in the last few moments of consciousness, he had typed out a number and two words on his cell phone keypad.

Then, his hand went limp.

* * *

Tucker had noticed Danny was gone only a few minutes after he had fled the scene. A feeling of dread dropped a weight like lead to the pit of his stomach.

"No, Danny, no," was all he could murmur as he dropped his fishing pole and began to race back towards the cabin, praying to God that he wasn't too late.

* * *

_Three hours later..._

A familiar techno tone began to ring on Sam's personal phone. Furrowing her brows, she made her way towards her kitchen counter where it lay. She knew who's ringtone it was, but…Tucker was on vacation. Why would he call?

Fear and instinct made her hand hover over the phone, imagining the worst.

The next moment forever changed her life.


	12. Chapter 11

_Eight days later..._

It was deathly cold outside.

The family huddled together in a quiet circle, outside of the crematorium.

In the first few minutes, there was a quiet hush. But one person's sobbing led the other to cry, and soon they were all holding each other and crying in one another's arms.

Eight days ago, Danny had died from a drug overdose.

The public was not authorized to be there at the private funeral for close family, but later there would be nationwide funerals held for all to pay their respects to the man that once saved their lives.

So far the cause of his death had not been leaked to the public. The cover story was a heart attack caused by an anti-depressant.

Sam stood, holding Jazz's arm, who was clinging to her mother. Neither of them had stopped crying enough to form many sentences over the past few days.

Sam, however, felt a cold feeling of desolation sweep over her the moment Tucker had called her that awful day.

"_God, Sam. Something has happened."_

"_What do you mean? Is Danny okay?"_

"_God, oh God… Danny stopped breathing, they're taking him to the hospital. The E.R., but damn, we're so far out here. I don't think he's going to make it. I think Danny is dead, Sam. God, this is all my fault…"_

That conversation, those words, would always be fresh in her mind. They were the beginning of the end.

She had cried every hour of the day, slow tears, but her emotions were hollow. Somehow, the fact just hadn't hit her yet. In her mind, Danny wasn't dead. He was taking an extended vacation, and would be back before long. He wasn't dead, not at all. She could still hear his voice. There was still that smile she had to bring back to his face.

She glanced from each person's face, emotionless. Maddie, Jack, Jazz, Tucker, and even Valerie stood somewhere nearby, and though she had said little, there were tears pricked in the corner of each eye. Sam could still not bring herself to acknowledge her. Valerie would never be forgiven for her selfishness, for murdering her ex husband. Tucker, on the other hand…

Sam and Tuck locked eyes, but the man of color had to look away, eyes red and about to overflow once again. Feeling a new wave of grief, she walked to him and sat down, taking him into her arms. When he began to sob hard, reality hit her, just like that. There was a reason why everyone was crying this hard. Danny was gone and never coming back. The floodgates of her soul finally released and she, too, pressed her face into his shirt.

"He's dead," Tucker moaned. "My fault. Should have been watching. How can you forgive me?"

Sam rubbed his back comfortingly, knowing why he felt the way he did. The overwhelming grief turned back into the dead calmness she had a moment before.

"You will never be blamed, Tucker. Never. He was dying for a long time," she explained quietly, while her eyes darted accusatorially towards Valerie's direction.

"There's something I got to tell you," he said while letting go of the hug and looking at her face. Much to her surprise, he looked more sorry for her now than for himself. Her blood drained as he continued.

"When I walked in on him, he was already…dead. But his phone was in his hand… He had typed out two words. They said, 'Forgive me.'"

And that moment, Sam thought she understood. There was only one person Danny would have asked forgiveness from.

"I know what you're thinking," Tucker said, wiping his eyes. "But the number he had dialed wasn't Valerie's. It was…yours."

Sam's heart shattered into a million pieces. The only implication she gathered was that the real person to blame for Danny's death…

Was herself.


	13. Epilogue

**_Present day._**

Up until today, over two years later, Sam had never stopped crying. Though the physical tears did not come every night, there were the emotional tears of guilt, anger, and loneliness that sucked her life away. Everyone close to her, even Danny's mother and father, insisted that it was not her fault that Danny accidentally killed himself. They tried to lie to her, but she knew it was all a facade. Whatever Danny had thought he needed forgiveness for, it was his guilt that had eventually killed him.

"I know he loved you very much," Maddie had said. "Maybe, half the problem was that he _never_ stopped loving you."

Though the words were meant to be heartwarming, they tore Sam apart.

For if she hadn't been afraid of loving him, he would be in her arms right now. Even so, when she tried to take him back again, her love was no longer enough to save him.

The meeting with Jazz at the _Hit and Run _hadn't left much emotion stirring inside of her, but it brought back plenty of memories she had tried to bury away too quickly. The memories were what haunted her. She thought back to the last time she and Danny had kissed, long and passionately. Though they had never touched much more explicitly than that, the bond between them had been so strong, so sure. She would never forget the look in his eyes when she told him she didn't want to be together anymore.

Then, there was that night when he crept into her house, told her he was getting married. That brought the dread and sorrow that was the beginning of her own end, though she had hid it well up until now.

The morning she had found him in her house, half-naked and broken in spirit - he never did smile after that day. Had it already been too late for him?

She suddenly found herself at the edge of a bridge overlooking the river. It was high enough for medium-sized vessels to float underneath. One had just passed not too long ago, its blinking lights headed southward.

The water must be freezing. Curiosity made her gaze deep into the restless waves.

Maybe, just maybe… That was all she needed. To be as free as the water.

Her breath caught in her throat as she began to straddle the metal bars of the bridge's sidewalk. She felt no fear, but for a change, exhilaration.

"Hey Danny… You know how many times you used to catch me when I would fall?" she mumbled. A faint smirk appeared across her lips.

Danny was beside her, giving her an answer. _Lots of times. I always catch you._

The smirk turned into a incoherent smile.

"Yeah… You always do."

A tear slid down her cheek, and her feet slipped…

* * *

_To my cousin gone and passed._

_We touched minds that day. I will never forget what it was like to hear my own deepest thoughts spoken out loud. _


End file.
